An early Hispanic-Indigenous contact event at the Los Viscos archaeological site in the south-central Andes: a zooarchaeological perspective

Abstract

Los Viscos is a large, complex multicomponent site located in a rockshelter at 2440 m.a.s.l. in El Bolsón valley, a high altitude valley in NW Argentina, in the south-central Andes. It has well-preserved archaeological occupations spanning 1220±40AP to 400±40 BP. The latter date corresponds to Layer 1a, a component restricted to a small area inside a stone-walled structure that has been attributed to a brief event in the Hispanic-Indigenous period. The 400 BP date (1454?162712 cal AD) attests to a very early contact of European and local populations in the region. The archaeological record of this component is consistent with this and includes cereal remains of European origin as well as a bone projectile point, which is a common technology of the period. The zooarchaeological record includes a variety of faunal remains, including bones, hair and feathers. Here we present the analysis of the osteofaunal remains, aimed at investigating the animal resources used and the intensity with which they were processed. Results indicate that while European taxa would have been available, autochthonous camelids were the main resource used by the rockshelter occupants, with a focus in their meat and marrow. This denotes some continuity with the previous Late Prehispanic occupation, although meat delayed consumption through drying is not evident in the Contact period occupation.